Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1887-09-02

Dc StOl "BItu l. al sC4DS ~
relate had real men ard women FOL
actors, and is known to all the ole
time residents in and around Louis
vile. It'presents one of the most re
markabIe complications Of old slavery
times that ever came within in my
knowledge, and | am not over young
Fifteen or twenty years before
the breaking cut Of the late civil war,
young giIl in her teens came ul
from Louisiana and settled in Louis
vile, giving the name of Lizzie Carl
ton. Nothing more was known oi
her than that she was accompanied
by a young man who was, or who
pretended to be. deaf and dumb, and
and who, after aiding her to secure q
situation with Mrs Williams, q mil
liner and dressmaker en- Fourth
street, returned at once southwark by
river. Liz zie was handsome bru-
nette, with a wealth Of raven hair
which swept almost to the floor,
bright, expressive eyes. and altogeth-
er genteel and digDilied in her gener-
al appearance. Her ladylike deport'
meut and strict attention to the in
terests Of her employer. soon made
her superintendent Of the establish
ment.
b"Soclal barriers were not so stub
born then as now, and hence the
young and beautiful stranger was
soon received into the best society,
forming q number Of friends outside
her regular business patrons. among
others Mrs. E, prominent mem
Der of the Baptist Church, at whose
house the black-eyed beauty was q
frequent visitor. She in time attach
ed herself to that church, becoming
a most exemplary member. During
her visits to Mrs. e our heroine met
Philip S., himself one Of the pillars
of the church, who, after living in
single blessedness for years, enjoying
all alone his wealth and family sta
ton, soon conceived tender senti.
ment for the young and beautiful sis
ter. 1t was not long after the match
makers got their heads together till
Philip and Lizzie were made Ione.
The marriage ceremony took place at
the Baptist Church, then standing on
The Southwe corner Of Fifth and.
Green streets, the Rev. Mr.. Buchy
officiating, and many old-timers liv-
ing to this day will recall the facts
exactly as | give them. After the
ceremony the bride and groom and
their friends repaired to Mr. SIS resi-
dence, about ten miles from Louis
vile, on the Berdstown pike, where
the usual wedding festivities were
enjoyed.
"The1 honeymoon, with other
moons, dripping with honey 'sweeter
than the honeycomb,' wnxed and
waneds The old bachelor happy in
the new world that dawned before
bin; the young wife, with her back
upon the past and its memories, was
even forgetting that she had been d
hard worked millner in the struggle
for bread.
"Alas! that ever mans avarice and
brutality should break in to mar and
destroy scene of happiness like
this. About sunset one afternoon
the door-bell rang. Lizzie, now
Mrs. s., left her husbands bedside( he
was confined to his room with a
slight illness at the time), arranged
her toilot, and descended to the par
lor.
Zone piercing scream that startled
the echoes aroused Mr.. s. who rush
ed down stairs. What was his as
tonishment and dismay TO find his
bride faintipg on the floor, end a
strange gentleman, attended by uni
formed policeman, standing over
her.
"'Sir,' said the stranger, this wo-
man is my slave. Her name is Nell
de Cass, / am o Louisiana planter;
here is the bill Of sale. / bought her
a few months before she escaped to
my home, and / have been on her
track ever since, and now she must
return with me- -'
y "TLe distress Of the unfortunate
couple drew about them at once
large concourse Of friends, who were
as much at loss what to advise in
the midst Of these strange revelations
as were the two most deeply concern
ed. The husband, after the frat par
oxysms OF bis grief and modification,
vowed eternal fidelity to his wife,
bond or free, and with, the assistance
Of Deacon H., Rev. Buck and others,
it was arranged that, in order to
quiet matters, the Louisiana planter
should be indemniiied for the loss Of
his slave, end little party Of friends
met together at the Gait House,
where the Louisanian was paid 500
for compensation, and he returned
home,
"And this ends this strange,
eventfuI history" asked the repor-
ter.
by no means. The worst is to
come. Mr. s. being man easily in
,auenced by his stronger minded rela-
ltives, was 50 strongly bcset by his
hncles, bis Cousins. his sisters and
his aunts, that he turned his young
bride out of doors. They could not
tolerate even single drop Of negro
blood, however concealed by a fair
exterior. The poor deserted wife
went heart-broken from place to place
in the capacity Of a seamstress, and
soon gave birth to a son. She man
aged to support kerself and child, and
bear up bravely under all her mis-
fortunes, until Mr. S. married anoth-
er This was more than she could
withstand, and, taking to her bed she
was kindly attended by the Sisters OF
Charity and few Baptist sisters in